Poverty

In 1999, Seward had a slightly higher proportion of
families living below the
poverty level than Minneapolis did, but a slightly
lower proportion of families below the poverty level with
children under 18. Between 1979 and 1999, Minneapolis' rate of families below poverty level increased from 9 percent to 12 percent and the poverty rate for families with children increased from 16 percent to 19 percent. In this same time period, Seward's poverty rate for families decreased slightly from 13.7 percent to 13.4 percent and the poverty rate for families with children significantly decreased from 23 percent to 18 percent.

Seward has historically had a higher percentage of people living below the
poverty level than Minneapolis has. In the 20-year period from 1979 to 1999, the poverty rate of Seward's residents was quite stable at less than 19 percent. On the other hand, Minneapolis' increased from 14 percent in 1979 to almost 17 percent in 1999. The proportion of
seniors below poverty level in Seward is larger than the proportion in Minneapolis, where it has decreased steadily in the last decades. Although in Seward it has decreased from 20 percent in 1989 to 17 percent in 1999, it is still slightly higher than it was in 1979.